News, Opinion, and Media Analysis on Cincinnati, Ohio and the World From a Unique Perspective

Friday, January 31, 2003

John Schlagetter has posted emails from Nate and Amanda illustrating the bigotry and racism of the CJC. Here the CJC is attacking Greg Flannery of City Beat, one of the biggest boycott friendly members of the local media. Shooting one's self in the foot could not have a better example than the CJC's rantings. The highlight is the threat of violence implied in this quote:

He ain't nobody. He ain't done shit for us and never will. All he wants to do us school us on how he would like to see it done. And, of course, the method that he prescribes involves "persuading" the white man to "change his mind and his behavior". To hell with that. These muthafuckas can either be reasoned with or they can feel the pain. Fuck persuading anybody. And it goes without saying that this persuasion is naturally going to come with all kinds of personal sacrifice (financial, emotional, and physical) from us colored folk.

That quote was from Amanda. Yes, it shocked me too, but when you walk around with an anti-Semitic sign like this, anything could come out of your mouth.

Activists call for talks to resolve boycottHow can Luken talk to anyone with any boycott leaders when there is no clear director or group leading the boycott? The CBUF claims they lead the boycott and have defined the boycott as one covering the area of downtown below Central Parkway. The CJC, or rather what is left of it, claims the boycott includes the same area, plus a ban on all outsiders from coming into Cincinnati, but they also have enacted an "Artists of Conscious Campaign" trying to keep all artists/musicians/performers out of the entire Cincinnati region.

On Today’s (Friday’s) Sister Speak radio program on 1230 the Buzz the battle of dueling boycott groups occurred with the likes of Dwight Patton and Juleana Frierson calling in from the CBUF while Amanda Mayes, Monica Williams, and William Kirkland called in from the new and unimproved CJC. The two separate boycotts were declared in the statements from both groups. The fracture of the boycott is official. Luken has no way to negotiate with anyone. He can’t deal with two groups; the egos of the two groups are far too large for even Jimmy Carter to cope. Expecting Luken to do anything with these unfocused groups with hidden agendas is foolhardy and ill-conceived. Moving forward disregarding the boycott is the only path Luken can take. Extortion cannot be reward. An boycott as the means of a political power grab is a never ending process. The boycott will continue forever. To defeat its irrational goals we must make it irrelevant.

Thursday, January 30, 2003

Chris Anderson on Legacies in Cincinnati Politics. Legacies smell of Frats to me. I am not a fan of Frats. I have to live with the often asked question most Miami University alums get: "so, what Frat were you in." Gamma Delta Iota baby! GDI todayI GDI tomorrow! GDI forever new! GDI through and through!

As CNN quickly debases itself down to the level of FOXNews, I hope the current turmoil does not totally ruin the chances for a turnaround of the network's slide to slime-news. I hope Ted can either buy back the network and mount a return to real news, or start a brand new all news channel that can shine on dial full of dull blather.

Police Slowdown?Today's Enquirer is ripe with the text of a letter from Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police president, Roger Webster, to all members of the police union. WHAT A LOAD OF HORSESHIT!!!! Webster's diatribe borders on the maliciously criminal.

When responding in an emergency mode, remember do not drive overly fast, stop at all intersections and stop signs.

On one hand we have the threat of more riots from the bigoted boycotters if the city does not give in to their demands, and on the other side we have the threats of letting emergencies go without responding by the police if the city does not give in to their demands. I expect as much from the boycotters. Their use of extortion as a means of political change is obvious to a five year old, but as a citizen I do expect more from the police.

I cringe when I see a conservative playing hypocritical union games with threats of a slow down. What I find most disgusting is Webster's claim that City Council insulted every police officer. That is the spin only management could love. When he wrote this:

In a matter of hours, seven members of city council slapped each and every police officer in the city in the face and decided to not ratify the supervisors contract.

I wanted to slap his face. A foot patrolman hoofing it in Over-the-Rhine at -11 degrees should give a rat's ass that someone doesn't get a free promotion to assistant chief? There is no principle in that position; there is only the preservation of power. If the police want to turn over a new leaf, they cannot circle the wagons and try and keep outsiders from injecting new blood into their stale division. I wonder if Fangman would have pushed this? My guess is that he helped write it. If this is the idea of fulfilling duty for the police, then I guess we are heading for a world of shit. Pvt. Leonard 'Gomer Pyle' Lawrence might have been more to the point in the movie Full Metal Jacketwhen right before he blew out his brains he said: "I am... in a world... of shit."

Chris Andersonfinds a bias in the Cincinnati Enquirer's coverage of the conceal and carry gun legislation before the Ohio Assembly. I am not sure if the bias Chris believes exists is true, but the bias against abortion rights is something no one can deny, as I commented on previously.

On a concealed carry law: I find it pointless. If people have the need to quell their fears and intimidate others, strap a leg iron on and show the metal on your side. If people want to live like Wyatt Earp, they better look the part.

I think Zee at Spiced Sass can rest assured that anyone reading this post will not have any problem identifying the political leanings of the author. Ditto Head comes to mind, but reactionary sounds as applicable.

Tuesday, January 28, 2003

State of the Union ObservationsWe are going to war. Bush cannot declare victory if a coup takes place in Iraq installing a new dictator when he makes a statement like this:

And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation.

Anything short of a new western democracy in Iraq will be a Bush failure.

Cincinnati boycott hits blacks hardestVice Mayor Alicia Reece deserves a kudos for getting the attention of the Washington Times. The "Moonie Times", as it is called, is a conservative newspaper with a small yet influential conservative audience. The article is fair, accurate, and generally unbiased. It could have had a quote from a boycott supporter, but they did not return the reporter's phone calls. The highlight of the article is the jab Alicia took at Spike Lee. I agree with her. If Mr. Lee really did care about the boycott, why did he not help UC by establishing a scholarship for poor blacks? I guess Mr. Lee's involvement in the boycott is only superficial or a defensive tactic to keep the boycotter's harassment to a minimum.

mattweiler.net :: This doesn't make any senseMatt's comments on the Spike Lee cancellation produced a trite response from Nate Livingston. Matt's retort was solid, direct, and poignant. If I see Matt this year at a Red's game, I will buy him a beer!

For the record, the "cincyblog" posting on this message board is not Brian Griffin from the Cincinnati Blog. Someone else, most likely Nate, has created that username for a purpose that can only be viewed as nefarious in nature. Please do not confuse the views of the username on this board called "cincyblog", with the views of Brian Griffin or Cincinnati Blog.

Additionally, the blog post credited to me is from my blog, but was not published with my permission. It would be both considerate and wise to at least include a link to said post to allow readers to see the original, allowing any potential editing or misquoting to be judged fairly. Thank You.

Brian Griffin

In case anyone is nitpicky, yes I did add a missing word to the above post, which was incorrectly left out because of my haste to post to the message board. May the grammar "gods" forgive me.

"Your actions in attempting to convince artists and entertainers to break the boycott are disturbing to me," he continued.

could be construed as something more than a complaint. I wonder if the News Record will release the letter in full. Does the letter come across as blackmail? Does the letter imply or overtly state that unless the New Record and the UC Student Body President endorse the boycott and/or do the bidding of the boycotters, then the boycotters will then entice or intimidate those coming to perform, appear or work at UC. This would be the same spin and tactics allegedly used to put fear in the performers themselves, which is part of the reason they stayed away. Fear is not the tool of the honorable. Fear is the tool of thieves, scoundrels, and thugs.

Gangs of New York to Cincinnati?What article on mobs and riots as they relate to the movie Gangs of New York could be complete without mentioning Cincinnati? It is only in passing, but the 2001 riots have, at least in this author's opinion, achieved an equal historical importance as the 1992 LA riots and the 1968 riots after MLK's assassination. It is far to soon to judge the importance of the 2001 riots, but that will not keep columnists from judging it prematurely, providing their opinion a more contemporary spin. Short-sheeting history is a common side effect of current-events writing, and I am as guilty as the next writer, but this article tries to connect some dots that are generations if not worlds apart.

Senate president took rural route to powerA puff piece if there ever was one. Did White's staff write this? This reeks of damage control and of weak rationalization. When does being from a rural county excuse boorish or bigoted behavior?

In case you don't remember Senator Doug White, review it here and here.

200 locals march against abortionMore evidence of the Enquirer's bias. How many stories can they run praising the efforts of anti-abortion protestors? If anyone wants to call the Enquirer "liberal" they might want to qualify that assessment. Just because the Enquirer does not proclaim the progressive income tax structure as a Stalinist plot does not mean they are not conservative. It just means they are not totally ignorant. The Enquirer caters to the large conservative base in this town. They know who their masters are and they, like FOXNews, tilt their coverage to what their readers want to read. This does not mean the Enquirer’s opinions are equivalent to the GOP or any other conservative movement, it just means they cover stories more often that conservatives want to hear.

BRONSON: Pushing lifePushing Religious Propaganda is a better title for this trite fluff piece on the paleoconservative's 3rd rail of politics. That 3rd rail languishes only slightly behind the fear of taxes and a military spending fetish. Owning guns and being anti-homosexual rank 4th and 5th, but sometimes can create as much frothing at the mouth as number 3.

Pete's diatribe is nothing but the rantings of a closed minded religious chauvinist, bent on instilling his artificial religious dogma on the entire country. Bronson is a classic anti-gray person. He only sees things in a black and white, an affliction most conservatives and all extremists share. It would be nice if Pete could dance a little bit closer to the truth, instead of falling prey to his fear of rubbing up against her and panicking his preacher.

Saturday, January 25, 2003

Spike Lee backs out of Feb. appearance at UCIs this a boycott of downtown or is this a boycott of the entire city? It appears that the boycotters will take what ever gets them attention and what ever can harm someone. Spike Lee is a bandwagoner. He sees a boycott against "whites" and he joins in. What is odd here is that he seemed to change his mind. He agreed to appear at UC and knew fully of the boycott, but he now changes his mind.

I have two theories as to why he changed his mind. One is simple. He had to cancel for other reasons and choose to or was asked to claim it was to support the boycott. The other theory is that, like other people have alleged, he was warned that his appearance might cause more riots. That warning would logically come from one of the boycott groups and would by some be interpreted as a threat.

Most people in Cincinnati will not care about missing Spike Lee. I did not even know he was to appear in at UC. This does nothing but hurt Spike Lee fans and UC. If they boycotters want to prevent the visit of any and all famous black people that is not going to hurt most people. If they are going to do that, why are they not pushing the professional sports teams to comply? Why aren’t Griffey, Larkin, and Dillon front and center in line with the boycott? Why haven’t other city players refused to play here? Why are they black players on UC and XU still playing? Why doesn’t the boycott have a consistent boycott target? The answer is obvious. They boycott cherry picks who they can get to comply to their demands. They have but one plan: Gain power, seek revenge, and get rich.

More than half of Ohio's military reservists summoned to dutyI am not sure how this compares with the rest of the country, but Ohio seems to be taking a hit from this military build up. It will cost private company's money while these solider are on duty, and they will all get their jobs back when they return along with retirement benefits as if they took no time off. Many police forces are reported to have been hit especially hard by this action. I don't think Bush has any assistance for local police or private business to help relieve the stress this deployment has on people back home, as well as the soldiers doing their duty.

Buzz Planning for the worst?Is 1230 the Buzz planning for the worst by keeping this web page on its site? They have kept this page too, I assume, in case they ever change their minds or if they loose a pending lawsuit on appeal.

Developer missing with $184,000 in tax moneyCouncil Man Pat Dewine wants answers from Luken? Luken may have some blame, but where was Dewine? He did vote against the loan, but why, as Finance Committee chairman, did he not oversee the project it he found it objectionable?

The story also incorrectly reported "Mayor Charlie Luken voted for the city loan to the theater project to help revitalize Over-the-Rhine." The Mayor, under the new strong Mayor form of city government, does not vote on measures before the council, as the minutes showing the approval of the loan indicates, but he can execute a veto.

As is traditional, Mr. Bush broadcast a message to the anti-abortion rally, saying Americans "must protect the lives of innocent children waiting to be born."

As is traditional? It is not traditional for the President of the United States to Address an anti-abortion rally. It might be considered traditional for the President of the United States to address the side of the debate he supports.

Anti-abortion rally causes stirWith a GOP run House, Senate, White House, and Supreme Court, why is it a surprise that the Smithsonian Institution would be abused by a gang of Kentucky Republicans? The Smithsonian is not a place to play politics, but the anti-abortion protestors generally adhere to an "ends justifies the means" attitude about their cause. If any left-leaning group abused the Smithsonian like this, the White House and Congress would be calling for an investigation. Instead, the Smithsonian is left to fend for itself. This breakfast was sponsored by a Catholic Group. Did that group lie to the Smithsonian officials, or did they participants just take advantage without any warning? I am glad the Enquirer reported this story, but I wonder who else did? The problem with the Enquirer's story is that in an accompanying puff piece on anti-abortion protestors who went to D.C for the protests, the story reports that they were at the breakfast at the Smithsonian. Why didn't the reporters ask the participants about the political activities at the breakfast? Did the reporters go to the breakfast? I see a bias, but is it in the reporting or in the editing? Yesterday's Enquirer editorial on abortion sounded like a slightly less than an extreme position on abortion, but one still riddled with propaganda. I have to keep on reminding myself, you live in a right-wing town. They know not what they do.

Taft Smack!Chris Anderson gives us a super insider look at Bob Taft's State of the State speech. His initial draft takes Taft down a peg or two. Chris better watch out, SNL might want to steal this bit. I know I busted a gut laughing while reading it. I wish more voters could have heard about Taft's plans before last November's election, but who ever heard about a politician telling his constituents his real plans before an election? If you really care, here is the final version of the speech.

John Schlagetter has cornered Nate Livingston's html programming fingerprints. I wonder if anyone still thinks the http://www.friendsofkarendewine.com website is really run by a disgruntled conservative. If they do, I think they might be waiting in line to buy season tickets for the Red's Riverfront Stadium season opener all alone.

Rob Bernard tries to make hay with Jack Nicholson's alleged anti-abortion stance. This statement is from National Review'sthe Corner and has no support listed, so I don't trust it, and it does not preclude the possibility that Jack is both anti-abortion and pro-choice.

Abortion: 30 Years after Roe v. Wade.Abortion should be legal. The debate can rage for hours about the issue, but it should be legal. The details as how it should be legal are not set in stone. There is room for compromise in how it is legal. In my opinion very few limits, if any, should be made, but those are elements that States can regulate. Beyond that, it is the choice of the women and those she wishes to confer with and confide in.

The Local Media has shown a dichotomy in coverage. The Cincinnati Enquirer has an amazing bias against abortion. They run stories praising kids for skipping school to go protest in D.C., but don't ask the kids why they don't protest against the War, a reasonable question for those who claim to "defend life in all stages." The most amazing element to this is that the reporter, Maggie Downs, filed the story in D.C. Either she went along with the protestors, or she is based in the D.C. area.

More than 800 to attend March for LifeThis story got a little bit too much attention for my taste. Beyond the EnquirerWLWT-NBC, news updates from 700WLW, WXIX-FOX, and WKRC-CBS covered the local group heavily. I know I live in a right-wing strong hold, but these "marchers" are painted like good deeding children. I wonder how many of these kid's grades are influenced by their attendance? That is a good question for the Elder Administration, who authorized a group from their school to attend. The question I want answered is where were the so-called "right to lifers" during the anti-war protests this weekend? How do those who claim to fight for the life of all fail to fight for those who will undoubtedly die in a war? I realize that two trips in one week to D.C. is too much for anyone, but there was a rally last Saturday against the war which only had a couple hundred people. Where were these 800 people?

I myself am pro-choice on the abortion issue and I am fairly mixed on the potential war with Iraq, but I like to be consistent with my principles. That does not mean I don't have nuanced opinions on issue that seem to be similar, but I do keep to the big issues. If I were a "pro-lifer" I would not pick and choose which lives have value. If they want to protect the fetus, why not protect the humans too?

Hispanics largest U.S. minorityHow does this effect race relations in this country? Will Hispanics be the hot political potato? Will the boycotters be glad? Well, that is obvious, no; they will call it a conspiracy against blacks and then call for stricter immigration enforcement. The real question that I think about is will there be increased problems between blacks and Hispanics? Some of the rhetoric from the fringe of the boycott suggests that there already is increased tension. I envision the Hispanic population in America blending in very easily, as it has been doing for over a hundred years now. It may take 10 to 20 years for the real influence of Hispanics to be felt on the political level of society throughout the country, but their influence will differ from that of any other minority living in America. Since I have a little Latin blood in me, I see this as a good occurrence for all.

Monday, January 20, 2003

Boycott Website ChangesSince the adult organizers of the CJC left the group, Nate and fellow ruffians have created a new website to promote their extortion of the city. On the website Nate is is asking for donations to be sent to his home address. I have to ask a question. Is it legal for Nate to accept donations on behalf of a nonprofit organization in this manner? Does Nate have a nonprofit corporation set up to accept donations? Since one of the members of the prior nonprofit pulled out, along with the person whose address was listed as its office address, is this entity legally still in existence to accept contributions on a non-tax basis? They use the CJC name on the new website, but is it theirs to use? These are questions I am just asking, I don't know the answers. I hope Nate and crew had Ken Lawson advise them before he accepts donations as his personal residence.

Flyer Funny Business?The Political Junkie brings up the coincidence that the Assistance City Manager's tenure in College at the University of Dayton overlapped with LaShawn Pettus-Brown. Mr. Pettus-Brown is currently wrapped in the Empire Theater scandal. Since UD's number of first year black students was 104 for 2002-2003 and 53 for 2001-2002, it is safe to assume that if the two men went to college there at the same time, they at least new of each other. This shared personal history in no way proves their possible friendship influenced the decision of the City to loan money to Mr. Pettus-Brown, but it raises a conflict of interest that should at a minimum be investigated by the City Manager, the Mayor, and City Council.

Sunday, January 19, 2003

'Put the razor-wire back in our laws'Attention Suburbs! Peter Bronson is joining the Boycott! He is trying to scare you to death about going into the City. The City is filled with "them," and if you don't keep "them" out of your neighborhoods, your crime will rise.

Peter, Why don't you just nuke the city? Why don't you just build a wall around the suburbs? Why are you playing along with the City Vs. the Suburbs battle? The Suburbs don't care about the City. They already have built barbwire fences trying to keep out "them." Peter is doing nothing but stomping on the City he seems to hate. He hates the people, except the "Christian" ones, he hates the government; he hates the larger number of liberals in the City. I hope Peter doesn't use Cincinnati as part of his return address when he mails out his Christmas cards, the embarrassment of not living in small rural conformist/homogenized crime free town must be gnawing at him.

"These are cries for help from ordinary people who are watching drug-crime cancer kill their neighborhoods. They came from Northside, Madisonville, Walnut Hills, Bond Hill, Mount Auburn, Over-the-Rhine, Mount Washington and College Hill - some of Cincinnati's oldest neighborhoods."

Well, I live there, and I don't agree with your pronouncement. I don't even know where you got that perception from? Could you have meant Camp Washington, maybe? You better tell your buddy Phil Heimlich that his neighborhood has some of "them" in it, so he can move.

Busloads Of Ohio Anti-War Protesters Head To D.C.The main problem I have with these protests are the organizers. Sayrah Namaste is the local Cincinnati organizer for the protest held in Washington D. C. Today. On the website promoting local participation she links to the national organizing group A.N.S.W.E.R.. This is a loose coalition of every communist group in the country. Those groups are now largely made of radical unionists, religious groups (Islamic and Christian mostly), and extreme environmentalist groups, which is akin to a religion in the level of blind faith they live by.

These groups are playing on the pacifist and non-violence beliefs of many well-meaning local groups, but their goals are no different than Hamas. I think much of communism today is a hyper-religious communism. They give people what they want, a means to channel their emotions and provide a group to join. Identity is what troubles most people today. People don't know who they are and want to be told who they are and what they should do. Communists want them to be anti-capitalist and "pro-worker", a tired old myth. These groups are aligned or at least akin to the boycotters here in Cincinnati. Much like the boycott demands, A.N.S.W.E.R. ties racism, the red herring for modern progressive-populist politics, to everything. Money causes racism, war is racism, and white people are racism. Racism is that which causes non-whites to be non-white. A ludicrous statement, yet not far from their rantings. It is nothing different than the frame of reference used during the "red scare" of the 1950's. The media is letting it pass out of ignorance and self-interest. They are lazy and don’t do much research into who the are covering. They instead look for conflict that will create drama. Drama is what drives news coverage. If there is no Drama, then nothing is interesting, and therefore it gets no coverage. The public seems to be apathetic to all of this. It is nothing more than a game. To be honest, It basically is a real game. Who can spin the truth on the head of the pin the fastest without actually telling the truth? The participants whether on CSPAN or any media outlet or in any political office know what they say and do is a matter of perception, and is a calculated strategy to their sport. That is the game I watch. Who needs the NFL when the media/politics battles are on 24 hours a day?

As a side note, I have no problem with protesting. I am not supportive of this pending war, but I am not out right against it either. I am open to being honest about the use of military force. It is not a good thing, but a necessary thing. If Bush can make a case for why we need to go to war with Iraq, I will listen. Up to now, Bush has not made a credible or clear case. I just don’t think linking this War to every issue you have is going to solve anything. It is the same way the boycotter’s demands became a laundry list of every issue that could be linked to “them”. “Themism” as no ideological boundaries. All are infested and the wood is starting to crumble.

UPDATE: It appears that a Leslie Markworth from Cincinnati attended the protest and was quoted in the Vanguard of Nigeria saying: "I’m outraged and I have to do something about it." I just don't think she is really doing anything. Standing in a crowd yelling at nonsensical speeches from communists and their duped allies hardly seems like something worthwhile.

UPDATE2: Leslie Markworth got around at the rally. Islam Online quoted her as well in this section:

Demonstrator Leslie Markworth came to Washington in a group that took three buses from Cincinnati, Ohio.

"I'm outraged and I have to do something about it," she said.

"I would like to see Bush and his cronies postpone their decision to wage war on Iraq," Markworth said.

She and her friend Stephen Lavelle will travel 800 kilometers (500 miles) home overnight.

"I would like (Bush) to focus on real problems like the economy and unemployment," Lavelle said.

Her friend also from Cincinnati, Stephen Lavelle was mentioned in the Nigerian newspaper. Islam Online gave one really biased article, while the Vanguard's story was more factual.

UC Law Students: Halt executions in OhioStudents from the UC College of Law’s Urban Justice Institute issued a report Friday calling for a moratorium on executions until a commission can be formed to examine how the death penalty is administered in Ohio. There is no way in hell Bob Taft would do this, but this section from the Cincinnati Post's story seems disingenuous:

Taft's spokesman said the governor hadn't yet seen the UC study, but noted that Ohio's constitution prohibits the governor from issuing a death penalty moratorium.

It seems like they are taking covering under a faux shield from having to answer whether the death penalty is applied fairly in Ohio. Neither this section from the Ohio Constitution nor this Ohio Revised Code section would prevent the Governor from commuting anyone he saw fit to not execute in my layman's opinion.

That said, Taft is dependant on the far right of his party, who don't really like him much. He chose a pro-choice Lt. Gov. and has been slow to approve a law allowing anyone to carry a concealed gun anywhere in Ohio. Taft will obviously not do anything but execute those who get no legal reprieve from the courts.

Downtown office buildings face higher vacancy ratesHow does this compare to other cities? Does the 10 to 15 percent increase in unoccupied office space include only downtown or the entire city or is it the entire metro-region? This article leaves much out the details out to paint a one sided picture with no context. This is bad reporting in my opinion, it not only omits information, it has no real point and seems conjured up to fill a story glut.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger Coming to CincinnatiThe who's who of the CCV will certainly be in attendance in Norwood on the 20th for the Dr. Laura, hypocrite of America 2002, book signing. This will be the local theocratic fascist event of the year, please note it is a book signing, not a book burning. Please remind your neighborhood CCV member to leave their gasoline and matches at home.

Just to remind you, Laura Schlessinger is the women who regularly tells people how to live their lives on her radio “advice” show, while her own life would be fodder for the Jenny Jones or the Jerry Springer show. Her mother recently was found after lying dead about 2 months in her condo. Ms. Schlessinger blamed her mother for pushing away the family. Ms. Schlessinger I guess found it ok to shun her mother. I guess the "commandment" on honoring one's mother and father is subjective in her mind. When she tells children to do what their parents want, I wonder if they buy her advice, or if they just laugh at her hypocrisy. It is sad when anyone's parent dies, and how Ms. Schlessinger mother died, was horrible, but the way Laura Schlessinger has ignored the adage of "practice what you preach" is too much for me to lay off, especially when she will be visiting only a few miles from where I live. If hope her visit is short, useless, and she at least is subjected to a few protestors.

So Long Pat Barry, We Hardly New TheeWell, Pat is and was a media veteran here in Cincinnati, but with the cancellation of his short run WKRC radio show, I will miss him being on the air. Pat was the only moderate voice from a current affairs talk radio show on Clear Channel’s stations here in town. Now we shall be treated to the rabid dog fascist stylings of Sean Hannity of FOXNews fame. Sean is one of the worst talk radio hosts in America. He is beyond being a shill for the GOP, he acts as their penis, while stuffing his trite GOP propaganda down his listener's throats. He is the walking poster boy for Conformist Republican Christians of America, Inc. Spinsanity had a great column on his slippery handling of facts and his nasty habit of myth perpetuation. Darryl Parks, local Clear Channel AM boss, is a man with only one purpose: get bigger ratings. He must feel threatened by the newly started ultra-right wing talk radio on WBOB. He seems to feel that he needs to shore up his programming, weed out any hint of "liberals," and pull back a conservative audience that does not like Gary Burbank's comedy and might be tempted by the moralizing of Michael Medved.

Local radio has taken one more step to oblivion, and another outlet for local discussion is gone. Now we get more of the same. The same topics, the same message, and the same propaganda. Soon FCC Chairman Michael Powel will be opening the gates to Clear Channel to own more, and local radio will be dead, except for what little local radio is on NPR. Local TV news is dead, local newspapers are holding on by a thread. I hope blogs catch on locally. Soon that may be the only means of public information and public discourse. Long live the Blog!

"Answers" in Genesis talk (2nd item)Attention to all morons in Cincinnati, you can be treated to a wonderful morning of faux-science by the likes of the international man of creationist propaganda and lies himself: Ken Ham. Why would any religious person of with even a remote level of credibility promote this delusional man's rantings in a newspaper column? This guy thinks the Earth is only 6,000 years old. How can parents willingly allow their kids to be fed lies that this? The allure of theocratic fascist religions will never cease to amaze me.

Show Somebody the MoneyChris Anderson on the Empire Theater debacle. The folks on the Buzz's Week in Review on Friday used this a reason to slam Luken and Reece. I would like to blame all of city council for not following up on the issue, but most of the blame lies with LaShawn R. Pettus-Brown. John Schlagetter has a few emails with city officials on this.

NASA Sets Its Sights on Nuclear Space RocketThe timing sucks rocks, but the idea is excellent. If Bush does release this as part of the State of the Union, I will be surprised and disappointed. The story will get missed in the Iraqi shuffle, and we will not be able to find the money for it right now. I hope the Democrats do not make this into an issue of affordability, but I fear they will. This issue is much too important for the usual partisan pissing match. The story was also in the Guardian

Score One for Kathy Y. WilsonThe Cincinnati Post reports that the murder of Gregory A. Beauchamp on New Year's Eve is being considered a hate crime. Kathy made that case in her City Beatcolumn last week. Will Mike Allen champion this case or will he keep it under raps? How will the political cards fall? Alienate many blacks for exposing more black crime and the level of bigotry against homosexuals in the black community, or alienate the CCV, Phil Burress, Peter Bronson, and Phil Heimlich.

UPDATE: WLWT-NBC lead off with this story on tonight's 11:00 PM broadcast. Where were they on January 1st? Where were they the day after Kathy Wilson's column?

Thursday, January 16, 2003

Judge Ralph E. Winkler dismissed the charge after prosecutors failed to produce toxicology results and officers involved in the case failed to appear in court

What college did the prosecutors in the this case go to? What college did the police go to, or at least root for? How can the police officers involved in this case not appear in court? Now one else in the media cares to ask this question? I know I am a Miami Alum and I have my bias, but who is foolish enough to think that police could not get to the courthouse for a high profile case?

How about an investigation into possible corruption? Who used to be a UC trustee and is currently the Hamilton County Prosecutor? The name Mike Allen comes to mind. Who investigates the prosecutor? Who investigates him for allegedly allowing political activities to occur in the Prosecutor's office by PO staff? Allowing Mike Allen to be Prosecutor and Political chief in this area gives off the stink of corruption. I may start rethinking the validity of his statements in defense of putting a City Attorney on the Grand Jury for Ron Twitty. This is a man who has the power to do what ever he wants, and will get a pass from the County, the State Attorney General, and the Governor. Friends don’t let friends run amuck as prosecutor, unless the friend is a Republican looking to keep the skeletons buried.

"They hate the idea that there is a huge niche for fair and balanced news,"
he said. "We're not programming to conservatives. We're just not
eliminating their point of view." Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes

CityBeat: Drunk, With PowerIf the first incident with the two police officers and Ms. Linthicum happened on a college campus, it would have been called rape by nearly everyone. I call it rape. If someone is clearly drunk, and a police officer is a good judge at determining intoxication, then these police officers would have knowingly had non-consensual sex with such a drunken person.

Both cops are gone, but these cops should have been put on trial. It is strange that this issue did not get the rise from the boycotters that other police misconduct produced. I wonder if the boycotters got a look at Ms. Linthicum and lost interest. I applaud City Beat for following up on this story and giving the victim a chance to speak her side of the story.

Wednesday, January 15, 2003

Focus on Square, analyst tells cityThe ideas are great, but with guys like Phil Heimlich in county government hording the suburban dollars, nothing will be spent on the city that can't go in Indian Hill or Blue Ask, or just not happen at all.

Love on the RocksIt appears that John Cranley, Cincinnati Councilman, was dating older woman Leslie Ghiz, who is a former city administrator now running for City Council. They are just friends at the present. I guess the sparks could not fly between a democrat and republican enough to start a fire, even here in Cincinnati. Well, maybe in springtime, things might change.

Homicide investigators said they "haven't ruled anybody out," but don't suspect that Knight is connected to Mapp's death.

This women was called by prosecutors "a brave little soul," but was wanted by police for allegedly cutting a women during a robbery. The cop she testified against, for years ago, appears to be scum, but this story has a certain yellow flavor.

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

MAKE SURE TO READ Chris Anderson'scomments on Ohio Senator Doug White. Chris brings up White's past habit of racial insensitivity and White's self declared "Hillbilly" background reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Doug White sounds more and more like what might be called the stereotypical northern prejudiced bigot. White is not a racist and is not anti-Semitic, but he just does not like black or Jewish culture much, or at least not enough to know that Jews don't like to be stereotyped as greedy, and blacks don't like to be treated like good luck charms (property). Is this the kind of person who should be President of the Ohio Senate? I am starting to consider no. Now, first I must admit that he is a Republican, and I surely am not for most Republicans, but I especially don’t like those Republican’s that try to instill on the government a sense of unsophisticated piety rooted in a faux homespun attitude. Hiding behind a rustic upbringing as the defense of personal prejudice is not going to fly, even here in caustic free Ohio.

Monday, January 13, 2003

The WhistleBlower is GoneI do not know why the Blower is gone, but I wonder if Nate Livingston's reported threats of a lawsuit caused problems? The url http://www.thewhistleblower.net now points to http://www.newsbyfax.com. The Blower may still exist via fax and/or email, but it appears that the post from the weekend was no joke.

State senator says he didn't know remark was offensiveLeave it to the Republican’s to make stupid remarks. How could any adult not know that it is offensive to generalize about a minority, referring to the old stereotype of Jews as cheap or wheelers and dealers? This slip of the tongue is not as bad as Trent Lott’s comments last month, but it indicates a lack of tact and decorum that is not becoming of an Ohio State Senator, let alone the President of the Ohio Senate.

The Republicans here in Ohio will let this slide without a single peep. Local conservative talk radio has said nary a word about it, and will not. I was impressed with the Enquirer’sstory from Sunday, but they would not miss a juicy story like this no matter whom they endorsed. It is never good for Ohio when this makes an Israeli newspaper or a British paper.

Square redevelopment soughtThis idea sounds great. If it can capture the feel around the main square in Cleveland it will be a boon to the local nightlife. The only problem is, what about "The Banks?" I thought this kind of development was earmarked for the space between the stadiums. Is this another sign that riverfront parking will be abundant?

Saturday, January 11, 2003

Today in Cincinanti's Entertainment HistoryHick Rock made its mark on Cincinnati:

In 1993, singer Jesse James Dupree of the band Jackyl was arrested for mooning an audience in Cincinnati. The band was touring with Damn Yankees, who also had some trouble. Damn Yankees' guitarist Ted Nugent shot a flaming arrow, which was a violation of Cincinnati's fire code. Dupree was released on bond. Nugent paid a fine.

The WhistleBlower Wants to Spam You!It appears Mr. Whistleblower either wants some mula, some idea of who reads his site, or he just wants to see how many suckers will give him their email address. I wonder if he has the penis enlarger Spam ready to go, or if he still needs to revise the sales pitch and self-made testimonial photograph.

Thursday, January 09, 2003

Devolution of a RacistNate Livingston continues his downward spiral into oblivion, not that he wasn’t already living in obscurity. In yet another email, Nate is doing his utmost to get the only non-black talk show host off the airwaves of 1230 the Buzz. I am fairly confident the management at the Buzz will not be swayed by Nate's disingenuous comments. Nate is trumping up a charge against John Schlagetter, trying to gin up anti-white feelings amongst listeners of the Buzz. Nate's motives are to try and control or at least influence the Buzz, which he calls a "black radio station," to keep open an outlet for the racist and bigoted ideas he and his cohorts wish to communicate to the black community. Nate does this kind of thing often. He sent copies of a bigoted radio ads for Ken Blackwell to WLW to try and put a wedge between Republicans and Ken Blackwell. To a degree it succeeded thanks to Mike McConnell's attention to the issue.

Here Nate is trying to create PR. He wants a response from the Buzz and knowing how they kowtow to many of the local black separatists/racist groups, he might get a little attention out of them. He might even build an on air feud. He might be fishing for way to file another lawsuit against the Buzz. He had little luck the last time, but I guess he has nothing better to do in his spare time.

Here is the email John sent back along with Nate's email. It is like watching a train derail, a slow motion devolution into a lower form of life:

You are well aware of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) requirement that you maintain a public file. Included with this email are copies of emails from John Schlagetter, an on-air employee of WDBZ, and my responses. I want these emails included in your public file. I will also forward to you in the next few minutes copies of letters from Doreen Cudnik, Joy Rolland, and Michael Watson concerning Mr. Schlagetter and his participation in an insidious smear campaign against Martin Luther King III. Those letters should also be incorporated into your public files.

In addition, as promised yesterday, I have begun contacting your advertisers to inform them of Mr. Schlagetter's comments, and his hostile, childish, inflammatory, and totally inappropriate reaction to a request that he apologize for making false and malicious statements about the eldest son of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This issue could have been, and should have been, resolved days ago. Unfortunately, Mr. Schlagetter has chosen not to make a thorough, on-air apology for his on-air statements which were made on Friday and repeated on Sunday. Mr. Schlagetter apparently feels
comfortable allowing such disinformation to remain in the public arena until he chooses to correct it. That, of course, is not an appropriate way to handle the placement of disinformation in the public arena. If Mr. Schlagetter made a mistake, which I do not believe to be the case, he should have moved to quickly correct that mistake. Instead, Mr. Schlagetter said untrue things about Martin Luther King III, he repeated those statements, he was advised that the statements were untrue and hurtful, and he has, to this date, refused to publicly apologize.

For some reason, WDBZ management hasn't seen the need to intervene and either force Mr. Schlagetter to do the right thing and apologize, or issue the apology on his behalf and on behalf of the radio station.

White talk show host cannot be allowed to go on the airwaves at Black radio stations and trash the names of Black leaders.

I look forward to a speedy reply.

Nathaniel Livingston, Jr.
natelivingston@yahoo.com

I will be listening tomorrow to Jay Love on the Week in Review to hear if any of this mole hill makes the air.

Bank Robberies Down in 2002The Murder rate is up, but bank robberies are down. I am sure many could see a bigoted angle to that trend. One could claim that murder is up because police are busy investigating bank robberies. That is a preposterous claim. You might be able to say that any unsolved murder cases might be due to an emphasis on bank robberies, but the bank robbery trend needed attention. I am sure that cries of racism or of special protection of corporate interest could be made, and might be true, but bank robberies are a serious crime that is important to the security of the local economy.

Wednesday, January 08, 2003

Chris Anderson comments on Nate Livingston's continued emails to John Schlagetter and on Nate's mass labeling of us as racists, a notion I find sad. I have to agree with Chris on everything in this post, especially on the points over both boycotts. I especially agree with Chris that the Article XII should be repealed and I am not supportive of the boycott called trying to force that repeal.

Baptist congregation plans vote on ordaining womanThey voted not to consider ordination at this time, in other words they said no. This church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is as close to pure theocratic fascism as religion gets. Their lack of respect for the abilities of women to think is widely known and despised.

CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide "Leviticus: Faggot (No. 65)"Excellent work from Kathy Y. Wilson. This column touches issue that run deep in part of black community that she exposes with brilliant clarity and sharp valiance. Having to take the abuse of bigots herself, I think Kathy shows class in sticking their words back in their eyes. What is appalling is that the Media and the Police are silent on this issue. Where is Mike Allen tooting his own horn? I hate to spoil my compliments to Kathy, but if this were a black person killed by a white person spouting racist comments, this would have been a national story. Instead, this is element of the story is hidden. One could claim bigotry in the media. I would call them derelict from doing their job, which occurs on most all local stories not spoon fed to their quivering lips. The real bigotry that is most obvious to be at fault for the under reporting of this story lies with the Police. In my opinion the police are more bigoted against gays and lesbians of any race than against blacks and other minorities. I hope Kathy's story is reported and I hope the story gets a little play on talk radio.

John Schlagettercomments on Kathy's column, and has a follow up email exchange with Nate Livingston, racist extraordinaire. It will be interesting if John can get this story discussed on Jay Love's Week in Review show Friday on the Buzz. The other members on the panel are not very sympathetic to homosexual rights issue as I think they should be if they want to be taken seriously on any civil rights issues.

Tuesday, January 07, 2003

Innocent Bystander?This is another sad story of a 17-year-old girl, a mother of an 18-month-old child, gunned down in the streets of Cincinnati. I have a problem with one way in which this tragic situation has been phrased in the media. She has been characterized as an innocent bystander. She may very well have been innocent, but she was not a bystander. She was in a car and police have reported stated that the male driving the car was the target of the shooter. This should in no way take away from the tragedy of this incident. Instead this is an issue for the media. They either created this characteristic of the victim or they took the words of a police officer who early on determined that, but after additional investigation would have realized that calling her a bystander was not the best description. Here are the various reports:
Girl, 17, killed while holding child - Enquirer1 dead in 3 shootings - Cincinnati PostSearch Continues For Teen's Alleged Killer - WLWT-NBC
West End To Add Street Security -WKRC-CBS

Nate Livingston Has Just Lost ItJohn Schlagetter has posted more of the emails he and Nate Livingston have been exchanging. Based on Nate's lies and his apparent delusions, I can only conclude that he has lost grip. His CJC dreams are crashing around him. His group as split and he has only racists and bigots as his friends. That might be his goal, but it can hardly be considered a quality of any respectable human being.

The biggest news to come out of this exchange is that John has determined that Nate appears to be behind the horrible website www.friendsofkarendewine.com, which is masked as a pro-conservative site, but attacks many conservatives and liberals. The amazing thing is that I am not on the website. I don't know why I am not, except that I was bashing DeWine fairly early, so I guess I had "street cred" on that issue in Nate's eyes.

This time Nate has included me in his attacks though, labeling Chris Anderson, John, and me as "Little racist white boys." Well, I am neither little, nor racist, and I am sure Chris and John are not either. What is amazing is that Nate could not even say why we are racist. Why Nate is racist is obvious. He shares the views of the Black Fist, and their views are that of black racist/separatists. The Black Fist feels whites are genetically inferior to blacks, they are the "devil", and are out to get the black man. In bizarro world they would be the Aryan Nation or KKK.

What can be done about Nate? Well we can ignore him or feed the beast. I vote to feed the beast. My reason for feeding the beast in this case is to put on display his racism and bigotry for all to see. He is considered credible in certain communities in the City. I feel that those communities need the opportunity to read about his real views, his real goals, and his real methods.

I don’t agree with many political opinions of John, but I hope people see that John Schlagetter is a good man. John does not deserve the bigoted and racist treatment Nate and cohorts aim at him. It would be refreshing if more hosts on the 1230 the Buzz would stop allowing the bigoted and racist views many callers spout on a regular basis, without a vigorous repudiation of those views, instead of a few "uh-huh's," while they sip their coffee and surf the web.

ESPN host replaces 'Wildman'Wildman is the casualty of an increase in Christian Talk Radio at 1160. I was never a big fan of Dennis Walker, but it is bad to lose locally based programming to network programming. Kornheiser is not bad replacement, but how will 1360 balance out the FOX Sports network and ESPN network on one radio station.

I have been speculating recently on what will happen when Gary Burbank finally retires from WLW. I have been wondering who would fill his valuable time slot. I think I have the answer. I think WLW will put WEBN’s Eddie Fingers and Bob Berry in that slot, maybe with Duke Sinatra carrying on as the funny man to Eddie’s straight man, with Bob as the nut case in tow. I think WEBN’s Dawn Patrol is getting to old for the audience they are going for. Bob and Tom on WOFX is a solid team for the older morning crow. WEBN could let Dolphin loose with some younger guy, who can push the limits like the Dawn Patrol used to do in the days with Jimmy the Weasel.

Class Warfare Has Opened Up a New FrontThe Washington Postreports the following quote:

"We could lock in the votes of the investor class for years," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "For the rest of the year and two years from now, it will be, 'And your low stock prices are whose fault? The Democrats' fault.' "

I for one will get nothing out of this proposed tax cut. All of my investments are in my 401(k) plan, I don't own a business, I am not married, I have a job, and I have no children. If conservatives/libertarians actual want to call this fair, just or anything other than a new class attack, then they living in land of Chance, Boardwalk, and get of jail free cards. Please ignore the propaganda from the likes of Paul Harvey, Mike McConnell, & Fox News and clearly see how this is nothing but a vote grab and payoff to Bush’s followers. If you are going to lie to me or anyone else and say something like "this will benefit everyone in the long run," then please be sure to back it up with real facts. I hope I don't here the usual rantings, but alas, I will.

Monday, January 06, 2003

Bronson's Clinton Fetish?Chris Anderson takes on Peter Bronson and the endless stream of Clinton-Haters. Peter's Column today could be seen as evidence that Peter has a Clinton Fetish. Can Peter leave the man alone? Instead Peter perpetuates lies about the manner in which the White House. Peter wishes to paint the worst light on the so-called "trashing" of the White House. Peter needs to read this(pdf) more carefully. Peter might want to read this take on the trumped up scandal. I have to suggest that Peter needs to add a New Year's resolution. He should give up writing about Bill Clinton. There is a pending war in Iraq, economic woes, pending nutty tax plans that he can spout all of the propaganda he wants on. Peter must stop feeding the beast. If you want the Clinton nuts to go away, then don't feed them. I guess Peter needs the Clinton-haters. They are his only loyal fans.

Nate Livingston's Nutty Ride Goes OnFor some unknown reason, mostly likely an attention grab that I am all to happy to provide, Nate copied me in on this email he sent out, presumbably to several groups:

Last Friday I was listening to my brother (Emanuel Livingston) hold it down on the Buzz.

A fellow named Paul (a well known racist) called in and said that Martin Luther King III was kicked out of the NAACP. This is a lie. For the record, Martin Luther King III has never been kicked out of the
NAACP.

John Schlagetter (fast becoming the new minister of MISinformation over Greg Korte) repeated this lie several times and then proceeded to embellish the original lie. John Schlagetter falsely claimed that he
knew the reason Martin Luther King III was kicked out of the NAACP: inability to raise funds for the organization.

We all know that John Schlagetter does not support the Cincinnati Boycott. We know that John Schlagetter prides himself on being well-informed and presenting factual information. So, I do not believe John
Schlagetter's presentation of false information about Martin Luther King III on the Buzz was a mistake. I believe John Schlagetter intentionally lied about Martin Luther King III's record with the NAACP in order to bolster his position against the Cincinnati
Boycott.

I also believe that this is further proof that John Schlagetter has no respect for Black people and the leaders we choose. John is angry that we can see the racist hiding behind that smiling face of his, and we
haven't selected HIM as our leader. That said, it is one thing for John Schlagetter to be jealous of, and hateful towards, local and national Black leaders. It is something altogether different for John Schlagetter to get on Black radio and tell lies about the son of
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr!

Wake up Black people. We have to stop letting white people, like John Schlagetter, come into our community, tell lies about our leaders, and not be held accountable! (We also ought to do something about people like Peter Bronson, Denise Smith-Amos, Greg Flannery and Kathy Y. Wilson who use newspapers to spread their lies and misinformation.)

John Schlagetter and the Buzz both owe Martin Luther King III and his family a public apology for telling such a malicious lie about him. I ask you to join me in making that happen.

Nathaniel Livingston, Jr.
natelivingston@yahoo.com

Now this email is nothing new. Nate is out to discredit John Schlagetter for some bigoted/racist reason. What is a shocker is that Nate did not include me with his list of local media pundits that have correctly attacked him and his partner in racism Amanda Mayes for their repeated blunders as human beings. I guess I don't rate with the professionals. My amateur status is still intact.

Notes from Talk Radio:1230 the Buzz aired a commercial calling for current crack addicts to volunteer for a study of an experimental treatment for crack addiction. They will be compensated for their time. Are crack addicts known to be regular listeners of the Buzz?

Speaking of people on crack, Rev. Shannon from the Church of the Ham Sandwich went on a rant while on the Buzz today claiming every conspiracy in the book. The claims of the murder of Paul Wellstone and of American Troops on a tear in Senegal being the most entertain examples.

Baghdad Jay Love is making Iraq into a desert paradise, where the people are happy, carefree and love life under Saddam. He wants to know what we are going to tell a little 15 year old Baghdad kid why he is being “bombed”. Unless that 15-year-old kid is in the Iraqi Armed Forces or is sitting in a military target, he is not going to be bombed. Guess what Jay, almost no citizens of Baghdad have access to foreign news media. They are not informed of what is going on. If they claim to be happy it is because they either are scared not to be, or they don’t know better. I think Jay does not play the part of Talk Show Host very well. He can’t take illogically positions very convincingly, or he is just ignorant.

Sunday, January 05, 2003

1st Annual International Peter Bronson Hack Conservative Columnist AwardsAt this time of year I guess there can be nothing better than the International Peter Bronson Hack Conservative Columnist award. We have a unanimous winner this year and low and behold it is Peter Bronson himself, winning all categories with today’s column. Please be sure to read his column before judging how he faired in the awards. Here is a look at all of the categories:

Gall: Peter has illustrated his gall in attacking Tom Daschle for referring to the threats he has been receiving. Peter’s seem to take pleasure in forgetting the deadly anthrax letter addressed and delivered to his office.

Hysteria: Peter’s hysteria and fear that a non-paleoconservative actually has a program on TV and that television station is partially funded, under funded at that, by public funds can only be eclipsed by his glee that his überleaders now have control over all three branches of government.

Prozac: Peter went on Prozac as soon as he learned that Al Gore was not running for President. Peter thought Gore would have been the only sure fire way his boy Bush could get reelected.

Pacifism: Peter’s hatred of pacifism took shape during his vast years of military service. Oh wait, that would be the lack of his vast years of military service.

Lame Excuses: What is Peter’s excuse for bashing Ohio State, the rival of his school’s rival Michigan? Isn’t the rival of your rival your friend?

Slick Hooey: The slick way that Peter denies how GOP in the South, and sometimes in the North and West, uses race as a subtext to play politics. It is odd they don’t think people noticed George Bush at Bob Jones University, or the way John McCain was destroyed in the 2000 South Carolina primary.

Name-Calling: The names and lies that Peter’s brother in arms Phil Burress and the CCV use to defame homosexuals, atheists, and pornographers. The CCV is the American Taliban. They are theocratic fascists just like Osama bin Laden.

Hypocrisy: Well, Peter is a hypocrite on many things, but when it comes to Amanda Mayes he is correct.

Denial: I think Peter is in denial if he claims the Bengals have or had any real coaches.

Paranoia: Peter is not paranoid, except when it comes to the all of the black activists out to get him. Well, they are out to get him.

Retailers worry about loss of another elite storeThis kind of store sounds like a very specialized type of store. It would not rely on foot traffic or location as its means of attracting business. Instead it would rely on targeted advertisement and reputation. This store stayed downtown out of ease. Why more when it matters not where their store is (with in reason). I would bet their rent went up, or property taxes went up if they own, or they wanted a newer facility. I really doubt they left because of downtown. If we really ask why, I think the answer is they felt slighted. Saks got help, and they got the cold shoulder.

Hot Seat Notes:Kathy Wilson gives her support to the "Moratorium" meeting while appearing on Hot Seat. Kathy also named an up and comer for 2003 and it was Jason Fagone of Cincinnati Magazine. I am currently reading his two articles in the January issue, and hope to have a few comments posted in the next few days.

Eric Kearney also stated there were 600 shootings last year in Cincinnati and 70% were blacks? WOW, that is a huge number of shootings. I wonder if that included all from the county or the metro area. I think his source was from University Hospital, so that might include shootings never getting reported to the police. The number that he was not able to report was how many of the 600 shooters were blacks? The percentage would likely be 70% or higher. The figure was also missing from other year-end summaries of the races of homicide victims.

No one appears to be updating Hot Seat’s website to often, it has a limited description of the show and lists only the regular panelists.

City to Congress: Where's our money?Why not just say it like you mean it Chaz: "SHOW ME THE MONEY." If that does not get their attention, nothing will. Well, Charlie Luken would be lucky to get Rep. Chabot or Rep. Portman to return his phone calls, let alone come through with Federal dollars for Cincinnati. Portman and Chabot are in safe districts and don't need to be prodded by the GOP leadership to vote with them. Therefore Cincinnati will get nothing and better like it, or we will less than nothing.

Saturday, January 04, 2003

Cincinnati's mean streets: 65 lives in 365 daysOne big problem with this list. When the alleged murders are listed, the race of them is not identified, but the victim's race is identified. I realize most of these are unsolved and not know, but why not list a description of the person(s) wanted? It is a common belief that the media tends to hide or shield the race of alleged criminals, but in this case when providing a summary, why not include the information? Why also doesn't the Post or the Enquirer keep a running report of the victims and alleged or accused perpetrators of crimes? In the age of the Internet, why isn't the police blotter online? Maybe the CPD should publish its crime reports? No, they couldn't do that. Well, if the County Clerk can do, why can't the CPD? Why didn't the collaborative agreement include such a thing? If people think the police are coving up incidents, why not put it all on the Internet? They don't have to include evidence, but they can at least say what happened, whom it happened to, and who was arrested for it.

Undercover drug officer stabbed in possible 'hit'The headline and the story are misleading. If the officer had just left the FOP gym I would assume he was not undercover. He works undercover, but if he was attacked 13 minutes after he left the FOP lodge, I would logically surmise he was not undercover. I am not sure if the media is playing this story up into a real life cop show, or if they are misunderstanding the terminology the police are referring to with terms like "undercover." The next thing I might see is a reference on one of the Local TV News (infotainment) broadcasts comparing this inducement to the police in the upcoming moving NARC. I sometimes can't tell if local TV news gets pointers from the folks at E! or not.

Friday, January 03, 2003

Cincinnati Radio Notes:Mike McConnell is advocating debtor's prison now. His prior support for Feudalism is starting to take shape. Mike's blossoming ideology is budding into a new/old idea needing a new name, maybe neo-fuedalism. Their followers are neo-aristocrats. Maybe we can call them neo-nobles. When Mike starts calling himself the Earl of West Chester, I think I will call myself Robin Hood.

Kabaka Oba talking with Ken Lawson on 1230theBuzz today says that spouting anti-Semitism is not bigotry, like the KKK, it is just exercising free speech. I have to ask: does anyone honestly take this guy seriously? I know in public many in the black community will not denounce other blacks unless they are personal maligned, but in private to they see this guy's a crackpot?

WSAI has ditched the elderly. 1530AM is switching to 1950's and 1960's music, instead of 1940's music. Dusty Rhodes is reported to be heading to WSAI as a DJ. The real question is, will WSAI still run its overnight nutty religious programming?

1160 WBOB has dumped ESPN for conservative talk radio, make that paleo-conservative talk radio. What does that make WLW and WKRC? WBOB also needs to update its website. WBOB is now "News/Talk 1160 WBOB. 1160 is owned by Salem Communications who also own 1050 WTSJ. Salem Communications is basically a for profit Christian broadcasting company. They include other non-religious programming but that mainly consists of sports or conservative talk radio. There is no online listing of their new programming schedule, but I for one will be sure to ignore this station at every chance I get. WBOB will most likely become the radio whipping boy for me. WLW and WKRC will start to look moderate in comparison. What a great day for radio. Diversity in radio is such a new thing, but when you have neo-conservatives, paleo-conservatives, and libertarians, what else can a intellectual want? I thanks Zeus for NPR.

Thursday, January 02, 2003

CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide "Uncle Tom's Cabin"Kathy calls everyone out with this column. She straddles the two worlds she defines, black and white. She lives in one with internal conflict, and she interacts with the other with still more conflict. I guess she feels like her column has come to represent the house slave, thus the Uncle Tom title. I am not sure if I would use that comparison if I were going to sum up her column. She tries to be objective with her column, straddling the line, but her personal background is rooted with issue that she can't shake. Some of those issues tilt her opinions to a level that comes across as a large chip on her should she is just begging someone to try and knock off. Okay, my bad pop-psychology exercise is now complete. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, a cracker is just a saltine, and fried chicken is just lunch.

Coalition for a Just Cincinnati is Falling Apart, AgainLinda Newman has resigned as co-chair of the CJC. Her reasons result from the anti-Semitic protest carried out by the Black Fist on December 4th, 2002 which included CJC co-chair Amanda Mayes. Her letter rambles on with a political laundry list of progressive/socialist/communistic ideas masquerading as civil rights, but overall her letter is good. I am pleased that many members of the CJC have woken up to the hypocrisy that existed in their own leadership with Mayes and Livingston. Both are opportunists to the extreme, peppered with bigotry, racism, and a greed for power. Linda and the rest of the boycotters need to rethink their tactics. This protest was an obvious ends to their means of confrontation. Instead of providing solutions, the boycotters made demands like it was Dog Day Afternoon.

The real question is: Who will gain custody of the CJC website www.cincyboycott.org? According to a Whois search, it is registered to Linda Newman, so unless Nate and Amanda want to go to court, I would think Linda would get custody. Maybe Nate and Amanda could get weekend visitations, plus holidays. They better get Kenny Lawson working on that pronto.